An Unexpected Interest
by Fada Soekja
Summary: Nathan's perspective of the dance on the night of Day 8.


An Unexpected Interest

Nathan let go of Abby's hand as she thanked him for the dance and turned to look at the others. Jackson and Melissa were already dancing. He smirked as he saw his best friend's shy smile from behind her bangs. Lex was now being coerced to dance with Abby. Eric was hovering behind Taylor and Daley who were dancing together and giggling at him. He took a deep breath, feeling a giddy sensation all up his spine. There was no telling how she was going to react to this.

"May I?" he asked, holding out his hand.

Both girls stopped and looked at him. Daley looked uncertain as though she wasn't really sure who he was asking. Taylor smiled brightly.

"You may," she said, stepping forwards. Nathan rolled his eyes at her and grasped Daley's hand instead. She didn't resist, which he took as a good sign. Turning to face her, Nathan felt his face grow warm. Daley was smiling at him in a semi-pleased, semi-nervous sort of way. She slipped her arms around his neck which sent his stomach into even more butterflies. Placing his hands on her waist, he began to lead her gently. After a few seconds, they moved closer. It was incredible how perfect it felt, holding her there in his arms. Her scent was soft and floral, like the island and she moved with grace to the music. Was this really Daley he was dancing with? As they swayed, he thought that he had never felt so at peace in his entire life. And that was saying something since he was currently stranded, fighting for survival. Daley shifted her arms snugger about his neck until he could feel her breath against his skin.

How long had he known her? Since grade school and they had always been enemies, even then. And now, out of the blue, they had become…something. Maybe this would never have happened if that plane hadn't crashed. They might be griping at each other and competing and driving each other crazy at that moment if they had all made it safely to Palau. It was the first time Nathan had actually felt thankful for this crazy turn of events. In that instant, he wanted to stay like this forever. Vaguely, through the dream world he seemed to be caught up in, he saw Abby walking away from camp, saw Eric holding Taylor. But his awareness was blurred. He could feel Daley's heartbeat, quick like his, in every nerve in his body.

Far too soon, the song died away. Nathan expected Daley to pull away at once, but when they finally moved apart, it was slow. He was still holding her hand by the time Lex chose another song. Her eyes were glinting with the reflected light of the coconut candles. He didn't want to let her go but couldn't think of any real way to keep her in his arms. Embarrassedly, Daley dropped his hand and turned to dance with Lex. Jackson had taken a step back from Melissa so Nathan walked over to her and took her hand instead.

"This is great," she whispered in his ear as they spun. This song was much more upbeat.

"Yeah," Nathan muttered, trying to focus on her. However, his eyes kept wandering back to where Daley was twirling Lex around, making the boy laugh. Twice he caught Daley looking over to where he and Melissa were dancing and he had to look away, blushing.

When that song was over, Nathan grinned to see Melissa glancing around to where Jackson was sitting on the edge of the sandy dancefloor. He knew exactly how she felt.

"You better get over there before Taylor gloms on," he mumbled in her ear. She shoved him playfully but didn't need any more persuasion. He smiled to see Jackson standing to receive her again. He glanced around at Daley but before he could so much as move towards her, Taylor was next to him.

"Hey there, you wanna...?" she said hopefully, clearly trying to shove Eric off.

"Okay fine," he sighed, grabbing her hand. Lex had struck up a slightly slower song which Nathan felt was wasted on his dance with Taylor.

"You stink," she muttered as they moved around.

"You know Eric still needs a partner," he chided, feeling irritated as he watched Daley covertly. Eric was soliciting her pretty heavily. He felt a momentary flash of anger as Daley rolled her eyes and then took his hands. The two couples passed on the sand and Nathan met Daley's gaze full on. He could almost feel the longing in her eyes, the same as his own. Fortunately, the song ended quickly.

"One more folks," Lex announced, smiling broadly and selecting a nice slow number.

"Hey!" Taylor called but Nathan had already turned his back on her. He almost ran into Daley who was standing directly behind him. Without needing to ask this time, he took her into his arms again and felt as though a coldness in his chest hand been warmed again. He buried his face in her neck and felt her grip tighten on his shoulders. The song ended all too soon. They broke apart and Nathan felt himself flushing. Now that the music was gone, he felt extremely self-conscious. Never in his life would he have even considered doing something like that until just then. Daley hesitated before she let go of his hand. She looked uncertain now herself, as though she was waking up from a dream.

"Thanks for the dance," she breathed softly. And just like that she turned with the other girls and headed back to their tent.


End file.
